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The Digital Skeptic: Windows 8 Brings Xbox 720 to Zero

"Microsoft's Xbox 720 will be a game changer with its Kinect and other features," is how Cris Frangold caught the sentiment in a post for the investment blog Seeking Alpha called
Microsoft's New Money Gun.

The
buzz says the new, upgraded Xbox will almost certainly have gaudy, PC-like features, such as 8GB of RAM, eventual support for augmented-reality glasses and powerful use of gesture control as part of its successful Kinect motion-capture system.

A Microsoft representative declined to comment on specifics of how Windows 8 will work with the various emerging Xbox platforms, but Forte worries that Microsoft intends to bash its hard-to-learn Windows 8 Metro tile environment into the Xbox.

"It seems to me they are trying to synchronize Windows 8 across everything," he said. "I cannot tell you enough how ridiculous it is to me that they would bring this to the Xbox."

What does he think young gamers will do if that happens? "They will drop it," he said. "Instantly."

Forte explained that the gaming community is not like Microsoft's others customers, who are, in a sense, forced to migrate to Windows 8. There is no brand loyalty in the under-35-year-old gamer community.

"If you change even the slightest thing, and I am talking about like what kind of powers a character has, gamers revolt," Forte said.

The way Forte sees it, Microsoft's long-fought gaming dominance over Sony and
Nintendo could disappear essentially instantly. He believes kids would make a point of sticking with the traditional Xbox or going to another platform rather than messing with a hard-to-use Windows 8 Xbox.

"They'll just send their new Xbox back," he said. "It could be a disaster."

This commentary comes from an independent investor or market observer as part of TheStreet guest contributor program. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of TheStreet or its management.